BAGHDAD, Jan 14 — Troops at the Iraqi air base that bore the brunt of Iran's first direct missile attack against US forces said they were shocked by its intensity and grateful to emerge unscathed. The scale of the damage at the Ain al-Asad base showed Iran's destructive capability at a time when...
Tuesday, 14 Jan 2020 06:58 AM MYT
The scale of the damage at the Ain al-Asad base showed Iran's destructive capability at a time when US officials say they are still concerned that Iran-backed groups across the region could wage attacks on the United States. At one site, a cruise missile had left a large crater and incinerated living quarters made from shipping containers.
The United States did not have Patriot air defences at the base, putting the onus on local commanders to protect their troops. Staff Sgt Armando Martinez, who had been out in the open to watch for casualties, said he could not believe how easily one missile levelled the concrete blast walls.“You see a white light like a shooting star and then a few seconds later it lands and explodes. The other day, after the attack, one colleague saw an actual shooting star and panicked.”
“We must have been in the bunkers for more than five hours, maybe seven or eight,” said Kenneth Goodwin, Master Sgt in the US Air Force. “They knew what they were aiming at by targeting the airfield and parking area.”
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